Water Damage (TPI)
by Gengar the fluffball
Summary: Omori, feeling stressed out with the recent events going on in his life, decides to start his own reality T.V. show as a distraction. He invites 20 competitors to battle out on a mysterious, alluring island that seems to run rampart with many secrets and lies. With stakes and tensions rising, the competitors find themselves making many difficult decisions.


**Hello! Welcome to the rebooted version of my TPI: Water Damage! The last version was a complete mess with too many characters that didn't even feel like characters.**

**Anyway, this TPI is an attempt to fix all those problems! So, I hope you enjoy...**

_..._

_A white empty room. No windows, no doors. Not a single light source yet the room was illuminated brightly, almost blinding. Right in the center of the claustrophobic area was a Kadabra strapped to an undefined chair. It felt and looked like nothing._

"_I don't care what you do to me!" The Kadabra spat. "I'm NOT scared of you anymore!"_

_A Pokémon stood in front of them, taunting them. It was irregular and kept switching. One moment it was a Sylveon, next it was Snubble. It kept changing._

_"Good answer, good answer." It retorts, its voice full of malice and evil intent. "Oh, Kip. You never know when to quit, do you? It's over now. Accept your fate."_

_"Shut up already, seriously! Are you even listening to yourself?! Are you even listening to me? I said I don't care anymore!"_

_"Greheh... I know that's not what you really feel. Just look at your eyes... Like a Stantler caught in headlights."_

_The Kadabra leaned in as close as he could. "…Go to hell."_

_The glitchy mess only laughed in response. "Hahaha... Ahahaha! __**AHAHAHd8TlKznTqa4AXW53ICZ7—**__"_

-000-

The Kadabra woke up with a start, gasping heavily. He pushed himself up from the seat he was laying on.

A Squirtle sitting on the floor in front of him turned around, worried. "...Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm...I'm fine." responded Kip. He held his head, feeling it throb. "It was just a...bad dream is all." He looked away, trying to remember what he saw and felt. "(It felt so real...but so fake…)"

After finally calming his racing heart, he gazes around the boat.

A candle illuminated a medium-sized room. The soft, orange glow revealed a white, tiled ground. The tiles covered the whole ground, moving under the red, cushioned seats that resembled booths at a restaurant. The walls were also a generic white, while the door was steel, a small circular window decorating the top half.

With how empty the room was furniture-wise, there was nothing to really look at.

On the floor, nineteen different Pokémon sat in a circle, varying expressions crossing their faces. In the center, there was a small, yellow candle that gave the room an orange glow. One of the Pokémon in the circle, a Chesnaught, spoke up. He had a Golisopod by his side, sleeping on his shoulder, but he didn't seem to really pay any mind. "Are you sure? You don't have to-"

"It's just a fucking ghost story." cut off a Zangoose, snapping. "It's not like I'm chanting some ancient curse that's gonna turn my ass into fingernails. I'm fine." Despite the Chesnaught's voice displaying clear sincerity, the Zangoose completely disregarded his intent and responded an annoyed comment. "Since you guys are just so fucking persistent..."

A Snubbull who had been completely quiet up to this point didn't respond too well. "Literally no one is asking you to-"

"And I didn't ask for your stupid retort." The Zangoose countered. "Now shut up and let me do this."

The Snubbull groaned, inhaling sharply. Nonetheless, he obliged, not wanting to evoke the mongoose's ire, no matter how weak he may have seemed to him.

After getting his confirmation of silence, the Zangoose gingerly picked up the candle and held it under his face. He blankly stared forward, moving lethargically.

The room rocked back and forth slightly, sounds of the sea accompanying it, and after a few seconds of the candle flickering, the Zangoose began speaking.

"...It was a dark and stormy day - much like this one..." He attempted to have a monotone, empty voice, but it came out more robotic and forced. Almost immediately after that lined was delivered, a Pikachu began screaming, breaking any tension that filled the room.

"AAAAH! AAAAAH! TOO SCARY, PLEASE StoooOOO-"

The Zangoose frantically began waving his hands down in a dismissive manner. "Okay, okay! Calm the fuck down!" He corrected himself. "It was...a super bright, happy, day! There were rainbows everywhere and everyone was hugging and being-"

The Pikachu gave him a look, leaning forward. "This isn't even scary..."

The Zangoose furrowed his brow, standing up. "Alright! I'm not even gonna try!"

"I-I was joking...!"

The Zangoose abruptly stood up, knocking the candle over. It rolled across the ground with the boat's motions.

"Oh-crap! Can someone grab that?"

The candle made its way over to a Hydreigon who had been staring off into space. It lightly bumped him on the tail, the flame burning into him.

"...Hm?" He picked it up with one of his heads, inspecting it as is if it was a foreign object, completely oblivious to his injury. "...Is this...?"

The Zangoose was quick to snatch the candle from the Hydreigon's head. "H-Hey...! I'll take that, thank you!"

The Snubble stood up and leaned against the door, yawning. "Well, that was a pretty pathetic ghost story, let's be honest."

Puffing out his cheeks, the Zangoose shot back, "...I'd like to see you do better!"

The Snubble eyed the Zangoose up and down walking over to him. "Yeah, alright." He walked over to the Zangoose, grabbing the candle from his claws.

"Hey!"

The Snubble smirked before standing in the center of the circle. The other Pokémon had amused expressions. He cleared his throat. "...Once upon a time, there was a Zangoose named Jared."

"Seriously?" Jared grumbled.

"He was really ugly."

"_Bitch_!"

"Jared was telling really bad ghost stories to a bunch of strangers he didn't know to gain their validity."

"This is a really bad first impression."

"One of the strangers was a very hot, very attractive Snubble named Grover...which may I add was _stunningly_ sexy." Grover went silent, expecting Jared to make another remark. Jared, however, looked away, glaring at nothing in particular. "You see, Jared was a special guy, and a smart one, too. Even with his crushing self-doubt and his warped view on others, he still recognized Grover for the absolute hottie he was."

"Are you flirting with me?"

"Sorry, already taken."

"Okay, where is this story going?" a Trevenant interrupted. "You've just been complimenting yourself the entire time!"

"As if that wasn't obvious." sarcastically commented a Salandit.

"Whoa, whoa," Grover relented. "What are you guys getting all snappy for? Can't I share with my friends a story about the universal heartthrob?"

A Scorbunny scoffed, folding her arms. "Friend? Heartthrob? Like, _yeah_ right!"

"See?" Jared grabbed the candle back from Grover, extinguishing the flame with his claws. "No one here _likes_ you!" Jared's tone was critical, as if he wasn't angry, but annoyed. Like it was a truth needed to be said.

After extinguishing the flame, the room was blanketed in darkness. The only source of light came from a dim, yellow glow emitted by Kip's eyes.

Slowly but surely, that light faded.

A dark, black, void.** Ambivalence.**

**A black screen.**

000

A black screen.

"Um, good morning, viewers! Or...whatever time you're watching this..."

Sounds of shuffling could be heard and another voice began to speak. "Oh, sir... I—I think forgot to remove the lens cap again..."

"That's... That's okay...! Just, uh, take it off and we can try again." The voice was soft, as if its owner was too scared to raise it. "I just...have to not forget to edit it out later..."

More shuffling was heard, and the black screen was quickly replaced with a new sight. A Low Key Toxtricity awkwardly standing slightly off-centered of the screen came into frame. The Toxtricity was standing on a clean, empty beach, with no other details in frame aside from the partly gray sky and rickety wooden docks.

"Okay... Hello, viewers!" He attempted to put more confidence into his voice. "My name is Omori! And this...is my show: Water Damage!" He put a finger up, faltering a bit. "It's kind of basic, but it's...it's something!" He clasped his hands together, smiling nervously. "To sum it all up, twenty teenagers signed up to this show to compete for one-million dollars. It's not much, I know...but..." His eyes widened, catching what he just said. "I mean it's a lot! Just...not for me..." He buried his face in his hands. "A-Ah! Sorry... I didn't mean to say anything insensitive..."

/

The person behind the camera, a Perrserker, sighed before hitting the pause button on the camera. He stepped away from the complex setup and gave Omori a serious look.

He walked over to the Toxtricity, gently placing a hand on his arm. "Sir, you have to _stop_ being so self-conscious."

"I-I know that, Hoss." This wouldn't be the first time he's heard this from the Perrserker. He looked up at the cloudy, gray sky. "It's just so hard to not pick apart my own words when my father and grandmother have been doing it since I was born."

"They're not here right now. I beg of you: calm down. You can...be yourself. It's just the two of us. I'm not going to judge you." His eyes wavered. "...You know that."

Omori weakly smiled before placing a hand on Hoss's head, petting him. "Gosh... I really don't deserve you..." He sighed heavily, shaking his head. He had no idea how the feline did it. Almost every time he was in a bad mood, Hoss somehow managed to lift him back up. "You're right... I should just...calm down... What-What are we going to do about the bad recordings, though? Do you just want to...redo them?"

Hoss stepped back. While there was still weariness in his face, he still managed to put up a convincing smile. "That will not be necessary... I won't force you to do anything. This is supposed to be fun, so don't stress yourself out over retakes anymore, promise this old man?"

"While I have been feeling a little stressed over these recent events…it simply isn't my place to have you worry about me like this." Omori nodded. "I'll try not to make too big of a deal about it from now on. I...I think the contestants may be arriving soon, so let's hurry up the intro, before it's too late." Omori attempted to step away, but Hoss pulled on his arm.

"Truly?"

Hoss really wanted to make sure, huh?

"Of course," Omori replied.

Satisfied, Hoss made his way back over to the camera and made sure Omori was ready before continuing the recording. If Omori was going to start a show, he was going to start it right!

Omori shifted around, standing in a more comfortable position. "As I was saying, the prize is a million dollars! So much to do, so much to buy..."

Hoss poked his head in front of the camera, giving a toothy grin. "Like buy a cup of coffee!"

Omori stuck his tongue out playfully. "Coffee _sucks_."

Hoss shrugged, moving back behind the camera. "It's the only thing keeping me up right now..."

"Uh... Hoss, when was your last break?" Once again, that same nervous look fell upon Omori.

Hoss stroked his beard, humming. "...Forgive me, I'm not sure I remember." To Omori, this only made his exhaustion more apparent, from the tired eyes…

"That's _extremely_ concerning…" Omori was completely unsure of how to address the situation and made note he needed to have a talk with Hoss later on. "...Well, a quick rundown of how this show will work: I'll be splitting up the twenty contestants participating into four teams of five and every few days, there will be a challenge. After a challenge, the team that loses will have to vote one another off in a not so dramatic elimination ceremony. The one with most votes gets sent home. Simple, right?" Omori smiled sweetly to the camera.

Before he could say any more, the sound of a boat's horn echoed throughout the area, interrupting his monologue.

"Oh, I think the contestants are here now..." He tapped his chin, attempting to recollect a few memories. "I...don't think there's anything else I need to tell you all that you didn't already know, so...I guess we can start with introductions!" He lifted his arms up.

Omori glanced over to the boat as it began slowing down near the dock to its eventual halt. Once finished, the ramp was lowered, allowing people to walk down freely.

"Without further ado, our first contestant: Brazier!" Omori pointed his arms toward the boat, grinning broadly.

A small, green Pokémon stepped down from the ramp onto the grass, looking very uncomfortable. He had various darker spots on his body along with a bulb on his back. The Bulbasaur kept his head hung; his eyes glued to the ground.

"Uh...hi." It was short and came out awkwardly.

"...Hello. Welcome to the show." Omori gave Brazier a worried smile. "You okay, chap? You seem a bit antsy at the moment. Did something happen on the boat...or is it a bit more personal?"

Brazier looked back at the boat for a moment. "Uh...yeah; I get seasick really easily so I'm not feeling too hot at the moment."

Omori rubbed his chin before combing his fingers though his 'hair'. "You know, I don't have very much experience with teenagers, but as one of the few adult figures on this island, I do care about the safety of every child here. Is there something you're not telling me, perhaps…?"

Brazier quickly shook his head. "There's nothing to hide, really. I just feel a bit nauseous right now…"

Omori pat Brazier on the head. "That's no good. Why don't you go take a seat over there and rest a bit while the other competitors get here?"

Brazier looked up to the reptile as he said this, turning to walk away. "I-I will."

"Just remember, if you ever a serious problem that you feel like you can't talk to the other competitors about, just come right to me or Hoss. We're always open-minded and ready to talk."

Brazier paused for a moment before continuing to where Omori pointed. "…I'll…consider it."

-000-

Brazier sat down in the grass before letting out a heavy sigh. "(I guess that that lie about being sick was technically a little true.)" He set aside his luggage and pulled out his phone from one of his suitcase's pockets. "(But for now, though, I've been dying to read for hours! Reading it next to others on the boat was way too embarrassing...)"

000

Omori looked back at Brazier with one more worried glance before introducing the next competitor.

"Our next contestants name: Cameron!"

It didn't seem like the contestant's moods were getting any better, as the Charmander that walked out next had a sour expression on his face.

"Hello, Cameron. Welcome to the island!"

"Hi." Cameron flatly replied.

Omori clearly didn't know how to respond, as he shifted around uncomfortably. "...Uh, well… I'm so...happy you decided to join my show. Hoss and I have been working very hard to...get this whole thing in order." He folded his arms, smiling. "Who knows? Maybe by the end of this summer you'll be jet-setting away off this island with one million dollars in hand."

"Heh, really? Okay."

Omori and Cameron awkwardly stared at each other in silence. "You don't seem to be in a very good mood right now, huh? Regardless, it's time to...meet the next competitor. You can go stand over next to Brazier there."

Cameron's eyes followed to where Omori where was pointing and groaned. "Of course…"

As Cameron walked away, Omori rose a brow. "Uhh…bye?"

-000-

Brazier quickly took notice of how Cameron was approaching him, a bit aggressively too.

"(...Is that...Cameron? Why is he the next one here?! This is gonna be super awkward!)"

Cameron stopped, standing next Brazier, completely avoiding eye contact and not saying a word.

"Uh, hey, Cameron… It's so nice to see you again."

Cameron let out an annoyed sigh before placing a hand to his forehead. "You never call or text me for five whole years and that's the first thing you say to me?"

"...I'm sorry. I really wanted to. You changed your number; I didn't know how I was supposed to contact you."

"You could have asked Phoenix...or Winthrop...or literally anyone else who had my number. Don't try pulling that shit on me."

"Give me a break. I was a complete mess after I moved to Alola and had no idea what to do."

Cameron scrunched his shoulders up. "So, you decided to dump from your life and forget about me. Great solution, dude."

Brazier opened his mouth, taking a breath. "You don't—..." His eye twitched under Cameron's cold tone. "(…This is getting me nowhere. I need to talk with him about it later, when I have a better idea on what to say.)"

Silence overtook the both of them, and they waited for the next contestants to come. They couldn't keep talking about the subject. Brazier never pictured Cameron to be this type of person before. Easily angered, distrusting…

What happened?

000

"Our third competitor: Echo!"

A brown, mammalian Pokémon with primarily brown fur exited the boat without haste. She was wearing a cream-colored sun hat with a burgundy ribbon. This Pokémon was an Eevee.

"Hello, hello! I'm really glad you decided to join the show. You can call me Omori."

Echo adjusted her hat, scanning the area. "Echo." After a few moments of silence, she spoke up again. "So, it really looks like how the pictures look in the sign-up forms. My dad always told me to never trust information I see online, so I thought it was too good to be true." She gave herself an unamused look. "For some reason he trusted this."

Omori rubbed the back of his neck. "That's a little...overboard...isn't it? I mean, my family was..." He corrected himself. "…_is_ extremely strict, but to never trust anything off the internet just seems a little…stupid."

Echo shrugged, a blank look on her face. "I never really understood his philosophy, but I just found things easier to go along with it."

"Well, fortunately for you, I'm not going to be that strict with you guys. So, feel free to browse the internet to heart's content!"

Echo tilted her head. "...Yay?"

"Well, it's time to introduce the next contestant. Feel free to stand next to Cameron and Brazier and wait."

"Alright,"

As Echo walked away, Omori took in a deep breath. "(Okay, nice change of pace from the first two. Let's keep this up.)" He quickly recomposed himself to introduce the next competitor. "Number four: Grover!"

As if in direct defiance of Omori's thoughts, a Snubbull came out, a very angry glare on his face. "(Oh gosh...)"

As Grover stormed over, Omori nervously waved. "Uhh, hello there..."

"Hi, hello. Look, let's not beat around the bush here. How long is this show's duration?"

"Oh, um…" Omori touched his chest, his cheeks lighting up in embarrassment. "I never really specified in any of the advertisements, huh?"

"No, you didn't."

"Well, I would say a fine estimate would be...about the whole summer. Maybe a little shorter—"

"Ugh…!" He groaned heavily. "I don't have time—…" He stopped, taking a deep breath. He was trying his best not to come off as rude, but he was really struggling. "I'm sorry, just…is it possible to make the show _any_ quicker?" He tried to conceal it, but his voice came off as a bit frantic.

"I mean...you could...quit or get eliminated."

"I'm not going to quit! And I'm not gonna get voted off either!" Grover folded his arms, confident in his own abilities. "I need to win and get this over with as quickly as possible."

"Augh... This _is_ sort of my fault, isn't it?"

Grover sighed dejectedly. "No, I—I shouldn't have rushed into things like I did. I should've investigated a bit more."

"And _I _should have put the show's duration in the advertisements." Omori closed his eyes, seeming to mull something over.

"Well, there's no use in dwelling over it…"

Omori gave him a worried glance. "Do...Do you really need the money that bad?"

Grover nodded shakily, embarrassed to admit so.

Omori dragged a hand down his face before sighing. "I'll think of something, alright?" He motioned to the slowly growing group of competitors. "Stand over there, please?"

With one last longing look, Grover complied. "...Thanks…" he muttered.

With Grover's introduction over with, Omori held himself, still feeling a little sullen. "Well, uh, here comes our next competitor - Holt."

A Honchkrow marched down ramp, making it down almost entirely. He hopped the rest of his way down, however. Holt's eyes drifted over to the other four competitors. His looked at them with scornful joy and smiled complacently.

"Heh, is that who I'm up against?"

Omori nodded with uncertainty, slightly pivoting away. "Though, not everyone has arrived yet."

"None of them look to have much fighting spirit, but it's never a good idea to pre-judge, so I'll have to get to know this lot before I can start taking the initiative." Holt extended a wing. "Starting with you. Pleasure to meet you."

Omori accepted the hand slowly, giving Holt a worried gaze. "Nice to meet you, too…"

"You hesitated a bit. You don't seem like the confident type."

"Not really, no…" Omori was finding it kind of ridiculous how Holt was quickly judging everyone solely on their body language.

"But you decided to put yourself _out_ in front of the world in the form of a television show. This is quite a big step, don't you think?"

"Well...that wasn't exactly why I created the show."

"No?" Holt asked, his curiosity peaked. "Then may I ask—"

Hoss fiercely glared at the Honchkrow. "Holt, I'm going to have to ask you to move on and stand by the other competitors, please."

Holt looked between Hoss and Omori before a smirk crept across his face. "Alright, alright. I've wasted enough screen time as it is."

-000-

"Hello, hello!" Holt waved towards the four other competitors, attempting to make a grand introduction. "Allow me to introduce myself!"

"Holt?" determined Cameron. "Yeah, we heard. Doubt anyone gives a crap."

"Beg pardon," Holt raised a brow, his eyes widening a bit. "That's not how you treat someone you just met. I could be a possible ally."

"You consider me to be a possible ally?" Cameron almost seemed offended, somehow. "What makes you think I – or anyone else here – would want you as an ally? Just from what you said to Omori alone builds up a sort of distaste for you I can't describe."

"You want to win, do you not?" Holt didn't seem to take any insults personally/

"...Not really?" As Holt stepped closer, Cameron noticed a small bracelet wrapped around Holt's 'ankle'. It was green and red, and had a small, intricate, eye pattern on the front. "Look, dude, I just joined because my friends invited me. None of them are here right now, though…"

Brazier clearly took notice of how Cameron addressed him and visibly frowned.

Holt rubbed his chin, grinning. "I see..." he mused. "We can change that. You certainly have some potential. A fighting spirit, should I say?"

Grover eyed the bird suspiciously. He glanced between Holt and Cameron nervously, giving Cameron a worried look. Everyone felt the same way towards him.

Cameron pried his eyes away from the ankle bracelet, feeling an uncomfortable sense of familiarity from it. "...I—I don't have any potential." He wasn't really thinking about what he was going to say anymore. He just wanted this conversation to end.

Holt lifted up Cameron's arms with his wings, scanning his body. "How can you be so sure? Maybe with a few evolutions, you could…" he let the comment hang in the air a bit.

Brazier attempted to push himself between the two, uncomfortable with the lack of space Holt was giving Cameron. "Drop it." he protested. His body was clearly too weak to actually move Holt, however.

Holt, taking the hint, took a step back and let Cameron go. "My apologies. Maybe I should give you time to think it over."

Lightly brushing his skin off, Cameron clarified, "I'm not joining your freakin' alliance, dude!"

"I will not accept no as an immediate answer. I genuinely want you to think about it." Holt persisted.

Cameron took a deep breath before letting it out. "...Fine. I'll _consider_ it, alright? Now stop talking to me!"

"That's the spirit!" Holt snickered.

000

"Up next is Jared!"

A Zangoose carrying a fair amount of luggage along with an anime T-shirt stepped out. "Kon-ban-wa~!" He stopped in front of Omori, posing gallantly. "Hajimemashite, Jaredo desu!"

Omori tilted his head, not catching a thing. "I… What?"

"Come on! You don't know what that means? Way to kill the mood."

"Sorry, I don't understand...um…" Omori glanced down to Jared's shirt. "Japanese."

Jared laughed at the Toxtricity. "Hah, weak! Only hardcore people learn the ways of cold hard kanji!"

The Eevee from earlier, Echo, raised her hand from afar. "...I don't know Japanese."

"Aww, seriously? You stuck me with a bunch of non-weeaboos? You must be tripping some serious balls, dude."

"Hey, I'm sure..._somebody_ here likes...Japanese culture."

"Pfft, them?" Jared narrowed his eyes. "Just—Just look at them… Eugh…"

"W-Wow...harsh."

"Not my fault they can't understand _true_ art."

"R-Right… Well, unfortunately for you, you have to stand next to them and wait."

Jared frowned, scoffing.

-000-

The Zangoose immediately recognized Grover as he neared the other competitors, and Grover quickly followed suit.

"Ah, _great_…" bemoaned Grover.

Jared glared, hearing Grover's comment. "Do you have a problem with me?"

"Yes, I have a problem. A big...SWEATY problem!" Grover was only being serious halfway.

Jared looked at him in disgust. "...Ugh, are you _always_ so annoying?"

Grover quickly grew bored of hearing Jared mindlessly tossing insults his way. "Alright, you can stop now…" he piped up. "I don't even know why you hate me so much."

"You called me a bitch! What do you mean you don't know?!"

"Seriously? I was joking."

"Then you have a _bad_ sense of humor." Jared shook his head, looking away. "Don't talk to me anymore, alright?"

Grover obliged, turning away as well. "...Sorry…" he muttered.

000

"Next we have Jordan!"

A short Pokémon with purple and white fur walked down the ramp. On her head were to dark purple horns that bent down. She was an Indeedee.

Slung over her 'shoulder' was a small messenger bag that hung behind her back. As she walked over to Omori, she pulled out a vintage camera with a slot on the bottom from her bag.

She pointed the lens skyward. "(Okay, Jordan. You have to get serious now. No more stupid photos.)" She pressed a button on the camera, and it flashed for a moment. Quickly after, a small piece of film stuck out from the slot and Jordan took it, waving it around before sticking both objects into her bag.

"Greetings, Jordan! Nice to meet you. I, uh, know these shows don't have the best reputation, so it was nice of you to sign up."

"Likewise. Didn't exactly want to be here, but at least the island looks promising." She briefly glanced around the area. "This place is a lot greener and more vibrant than I expected it to be. And even with all the man-made structures here I saw in the advertisements; it doesn't completely ruin the surrounding scenery. This would probably look perfect during The Golden Hour."

"I bet! This island was in tip-top shape when I bought it; I tried my best not to stunt any of the natural growth here, so I'm glad I did good."

Suddenly, a shiny Ribombee began fluttering past, landing on Brazier's bulb. "(A shiny? Holy crap! I don't get a photo op. like this every day.)" She begins walking away. "Sorry to cut this short. Destiny calls."

Omori happily waved as the Indeedee strolled away before pausing entirely. Taking a double take, he confirmed his suspicions. That Ribombee was one of the workers he had hired, but for some reason, they were roaming about, completely off duty. He felt the need to walk over and ask her what she was doing but stopped himself due to the camera still rolling. He didn't want to have to end stop the recording another time.

Quickly, he brushed it off. "…Anyway, our next competitor's name is Kip."

A Kadabra was next to walk off the boat. The Kadabra, strangely enough, was wearing a purple hooded robe that had intricate, gold patterns lining the edges of the hood. His face was unreadable as it was completely shrouded in darkness. What you could see, however, was his shining golden eyes, along with his mustache which had been sticking out. Kip extended his left hand to reveal he also wore gloves, which color's resembled soot.

Omori happily accepted the hand, shaking it. "Welcome, welcome. You seem like an interesting fellow. Since I haven't been asking too many questions, what made you decide to join the show?"

Kip's eyes flickered for a moment before he narrowed them. "I don't think that's any of your business, now is it?" he answered, a bit offensively.

Omori was caught off guard. Kip's voice was completely ethereal, not to mention what he just said.

"Uh, well…I'm sorry… I thought—"

"Forget it." Kip shook his head. "I'm being a little too sensitive." Biting his lip, he gave Omori a sideways look. "I decided to participate in this...game…so I could support my family. Nothing you need to worry about."

"Oh, it's...unfortunate to hear that."

Kip shrugged dismissively. "It's fine. Even if I do get kicked off...there's always more shows I could join."

"Ah, no need to put yourself through so much trouble. Just try your best here, alright? You _could_ actually win. It's not impossible."

"I guess I'm just...having one of those days, you know?"

"I know exactly what you mean, mate. Uh, look, talk to you soon, Kip. We have to get this show rolling."

The Kadabra lightly waved. "Naturally," He looked away from Omori and then strolled off.

Feeling strangely refreshed, Omori turned back to the boat, ready to introduce the next competitor.

"Our next competitor's name is Leonardo!"

A Kecleon enthusiastically skipped the ramp. With a bright smile, he sped over to Omori.

"Thank you so much for letting me join!" He shook Omori's palm with a firm grip. Any harder and Omori's hand might've broken. "I've tried so hard to just...get here, I can't let this opportunity go by."

"Oh, don't thank me." dismissed Omori. "It was hard to choose only twenty people to compete, so I made sure to pick people who I thought needed it most."

Leonardo nodded, lightly kicking at some sand. "...I'll probably lose anyway, but I want to make my time here worthwhile. I'm going to try making as many friends as I can!"

"I certainly hope so!" agreed Omori. "I would like for everyone to be able to relate and understand each other, even if they don't end up liking each other. Just hope their environment being an island doesn't really affect how they interact."

"Isn't that the point of having these shows on an island, though?" asked Leonardo. "Anyway, speaking of this island, I got a little curious about it after seeing some of the images, and tried to do some research." he explained. "I searched up the island, and I thought since the island has such a...unique name, there would be at least some form of documented results on Google, but it's sort of like this island doesn't even exist. I can't even find it on a map!"

"Hm… That's a bit odd, but still kind of expected since the island is so small...and is in the middle of nowhere." Omori reminded.

"I did briefly see this island mentioned in a sentence of a Wikipedia page, but all it confirmed was its existence in a chain of islands."

"Chain of islands? But...this is the only one for...thousands of miles!"

"Yeah, that's why I think it's probably talking about a different island. I don't know Wascerio's coordinates, so I can't confirm anything."

"I'll...have to get back to you on that." offered Omori. "I might be able to get some info from who I bought this island from."

"Oh, you don't have to do that. This isn't important, so you shouldn't waste your time on it."

"Nah, it's fine." insisted Omori. "Other than planning for the show and some other personal hobbies, I still have some free time to do whatever, so I can help."

"Really? Thanks!"

"It's no problem, really." Omori pointed back to the other competitors. "Anyway, talk to you soon. It's time to introduce the next contestant."

Leonardo nodded happily, obliging.

"Our next contestant is...Lily!"

A Gardevoir carrying a large backpack stepped out the boat, gazing up at the cloudy sky. She was holding a mechanical pencil along with a leather notebook in her hands. Returning her attention back ahead of her, she met up with Omori.

She waved softly as she walked over to him. "Hel—"

Before even getting a full word in, lightning strikes on the other side of the island, a quiet clap of thunder accompanying it. By Lily's quick jump, she wasn't expecting it either.

"Uuuu…" Omori spoke first, dropping his head and exhaling heavily. "That's kind of worrying… I might need to hurry up."

Lily nodded in agreement. "That might be for the best." She reached into her bag, gripping a handle. "I'm not too fond of getting drenched, so I made sure to bring an umbrella, just in case." She pulled out and opened a fairly sized, gray umbrella with a black handle. Holding it above her head, she smiled.

"Whoa, that bag looks really packed."

After showing off her umbrella, she placed it back, shaking the bag a little. Objects of various material clanked together with each tiny movement, showing off just how much the bag could carry. "I make sure to always come prepared."

"Well, this might simply be a lightning storm with no rain involved, so I don't suppose you have shelter in your bag, do you?" joked Omori.

"You never know…" she giggled. Quickly covering her smile, though, was a serious expression. "Especially in these types of competitions."

"Yes, yes, I understand... It's hard to trust strangers when you're all fighting for the same thing." He turned to the others. "But...maybe if you gave them a chance first…" Omori let the suggestion hang in the air for Lily to finish.

She rubbed her chin, looking to them thoughtfully. "I know, I know… I planned on being friendly with everyone here. I don't want to end up on bad terms with anyone."

"A difficult feat, that's for certain, but...I hope you accomplish that. You might be able to bring everyone together, as well."

"That sounds nice…"

"Well, you can start now. Why don't you go talk to the others?"

For a moment, Lily could only nod. Hesitantly, she slowly approached the other contestants. "Thank you."

"My pleasure!"

A large, mammalian Pokémon stepped out of the boat next. He had fluffy white fur on his belly and fringing his face like a beard. On his back was a prominent domed, armor-like shell with multiple spikes protruding from the back.

"Viewers, meet our next competitor: Loki!"

The Chesnaught waved, a large grin on his face.

"Hello, I'm here~! It's so nice to finally meet you, Omori! You're like my everyday hero!"

"...Me?" Omori pointed to himself.

"Of course!"

"But...I haven't done anything."

"Aren't you the same Toxtricity that donated to all those charities a couple months ago?" Loki smiled encouragingly. "To medicine, too?"

"Well..._maybe_, but…"

"Not '_maybe_', yes!" Loki wrapped an arm Omori's shoulder, crouching down to reach his height. "I heard you even planted a bunch of trees to help fight against climate change. That's amazing!"

"No, no…" Omori gazed away. "It was just the right thing to do. I was tired of only being useful for money, so I decided to actually help out, too."

"It's natural to feel that way." reassured Loki. "But hey, whatever you reason was, it's still a good thing you decided to do something. I'm proud of you."

"You're…" Omori blinked a couple of times, processing Loki's sentence. "...You're proud of me?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"..." Omori went silent, rubbing the back of his neck "Well, um… Thanks, Loki. It's time for the next introduction so…"

Loki nodded, understanding.

-000-

When Loki walked over to the other competitors, he made an effort to introduce himself. Making sure he got everyone's attention, he bowed down politely. "Hello! My name is Loki! I hope we can all get along and become friends."

Jared stared at the Chesnaught with stars in his eyes. He clasped his claws together, intertwining them. Strolling over to Loki, he tugged on his arm. "Excuse me, but do you by any chance watch anime?"

"I mean...a little bit. Haven't seen any lately, to be honest,"

"Have you seen-" Jared inquires, tugging on his shirt with a logo on it, "-_Reinbosame_?"

Loki's mouth curves into a smile. "Yes, actually! I'm pretty sure that's what got me into anime in the first place!"

"Really?" Jared was starting to feel a little too excited and began to shake a little. "Does that mean you've seen all the movies?"

Loki folded his arms, smiling. "Of course I have! Well...except for the latest one. I don't have enough money to see it in theaters or rent a copy."

"Hm... " Jared fiddles around with his luggage before an idea crosses his mind. "Oh, give me your phone! I know a really good website that has all the movies _for free_!"

Loki rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "I don't have a phone anymore…"

Jared huffed, once again stumped. "Mmm… Then I guess you'll have to use mine…"

"Oh, you don't have to do that…! I can wait."

"You'll only be using it for a couple of hours. And if you're lucky..." Jared pointed to himself, smirking. "...you'll have this guy with ya!"

"Good!" laughed Loki. "You sound like an expert at anime. Sometimes I have no idea what's going on, so some pointers would be nice!"

"Then it's official!"

000

"Our next contestant: ...Pearla!"

A Sylveon walked out of the boat next with a small frown on her face. Carrying luggage was a bit of a struggle for her as she had to grip the handle with her mouth, her ribbons contributing to pulling it as well.

Once she was finally close enough, she spat the luggage out, still frowning. "I apologize, that must have look undignified."

"Oh, no… It's alright."

She sucked in a bit of air. "No, I've got a status to maintain. It doesn't help when it looks like I'm trying to eat my luggage on national television."

"Okay, I admit," Omori slouched with a sigh, letting up a small smile. "the sight is a little funny, but...understandable." He pursed his lips, wrapped his fingers together, and lowered his head to stare at them. "...Us Pokémon with conventional limbs always seem to forget how good we have it."

"Still, I could always do better."

"Regardless, I could definitely see you making it far, even if you don't have arms like me."

"The thought _is_ nice…"

"Well, it's time to introduce the next contestant. Don't think about how others view you, alright?"

Pearla ambled away, her luggage finding itself back into her mouth. "(I wish it were that easy…)"

Waving the Sylveon off, Omori continued with the introduction. "Our next contestant is...Phoenix!"

A Pikachu smoothly slid down the ramp, giving the camera a sly smile. Walking over to Omori, he playfully gave him finger guns. "Hey, guy. Nice island you've got here!"

"Hi, Phoenix! Happy to see we have the world's cutest Pokémon on our hands today."

Pikachu stuck his tongue out, smiling. "Aww, lil' ol' me?" He rubbed his cheeks.

"Yup! I don't care what anyone says! Pikachus will always be the cutest Pokémon in the world!"

"So, big guy. What are our challenges gonna be like? I'm ready to do something exhilarating!" He jumped up and down, displaying his abundance of energy.

"Mmm..." Omori shrugged. "It's going to vary. Today's contest, however, I think you'll like."

"Heck yeah! Are we jumping off a cliff? I've _always_ wanted to do that!"

"Uh, n-no, we will not be jumping off a cliff!" he quickly answered. "I don't want you guys to die!"

"Hmph… Boring…" Phoenix put on a pouty face, folding his arms dramatically.

"Nope! You can't guilt trip me that easily!" Omori crossed his arms as well, looking away. "Now go stand with the others before I change my mind!"

Phoenix's eyes widened as he seemed elated to hear that. With a big smile on his face, he zoomed off into the direction of the others.

-000-

Phoenix quickly zipped over to Brazier as soon as he was dismissed.

"Finally!" he exclaimed, static emanating from his cheeks. "Having to keep to myself that whole boat ride was so unbearable!" He pulled the Bulbasaur into a tight hug.

"...Ph-Phoenix?!"

"What?" he asked. "You're acting like you're surprised to see me."

"_Y-You're_ Phoenix?! The Phoenix I knew was a small, cute Pichu!"

"You mean you didn't recognize him as soon as you got on the boat?" questioned Cameron, condescendingly.

"N-No…"

Phoenix smirked, lifting his arms up to show them off. "Yeah… I've worked out a ton since we last saw each other. Betchya like me now, huh?"

"I-I like everybody..."

"Not _everybody…_" Cameron murmured.

Brazier's eyes jumped between Phoenix and Cameron. Brazier was flabbergasted to see Phoenix wasn't picking up on Cameron's attitude. Afraid of confrontation, Brazier decided to not bring it up, instead changing the subject.

"Nix, what did you mean by, 'Betchya like me now, huh?'" Brazier repeated. "I've always liked you."

"Oh, that's not important. It really isn't. ...Oh!" He gasped, turning to the forest. "_Would ya look at that_."

Brazier followed his eyes, also looking at the forest. "L...Look at what? I don't...see anything—"

"An adventure!" Phoenix got on all fours and ran away; and after he was so eager to see Brazier, too...

"Why am I not surprised…" muttered Brazier, placing a hand on his forehead.

000

"Up next we have…Serenity!"

A Scorbunny nimbly hopped the ramp rapidly. She somehow stepped carefully, but haughtily, as if doing so would garner her some attention.

She waved off the camera. "No pizzeria photos, please."

Omori quickly covered his mouth with a palm, trying to muffle his laughter. "D-Did you say _pizzeria_?"

"Yeah, isn't that, like, what it's called?"

"Girl, you cannot be _that_ dumb!" Jared shouted from the sidelines.

Serenity huffed, her paws finding a place on her hips. "_Obviously_ not! I was joking; I know it's paparazzi!"

Jared could only facepalm.

"Good one!" In spite of everything, Omori was clearly trying to be nice. "I certainly wasn't expecting to hear that today."

"Thanks, I guess…" She rolled her head in a circle, sighing. "Even if my joke _was_ bad, it's nice to hear someone be kind for once."

Omori smiled. "Only trying my best."

After a few more moments of silence, Serenity spoke up again. "...Are those really the other competitors?" She was eyeing Jared in particular. "...I don't want to have to deal with...that."

"I mean, yes, of course…" Omori gave her a look. "Nobody's forcing you to do anything, but you'll most likely have to talk to other people and be friendly if you want to make it far."

"...That _is _true…" She let out an annoyed sigh. "Ugh, whatever, fine. I'll try to, but I am one-hundred percent ignoring that Zangoose!"

Omori shrugged. "You can't make friends with everyone; I know that much."

She took in a deep breath, bracing herself. "Well, here goes nothing."

Omori watched as Serenity walked over to the other girls, talking to them. With a satisfied smile, he continued with the introduction.

"Up next we have the famous: Travis the Titan!"

A Trevenant carefully made his way onto the dock. He held an audio recorder up to his face with had his other hand behind his back.

He cleared his throat as he pressed the record button. "Log date: six-eleven-nineteen... It appears I have arrived at the premises... I am delighted to say that this island really _isn't_ a landfill." His voice was very deep and caused the ground to shake a little bit. Travis's eyes drifted over to the contestants. "Can't say the same about the others..."

With a final 'eugh...', Travis hit the pause button on his recorder and walked up to Omori.

"Welcome, Travis!" Omori quizzically looked at the device in his hand. "...What was that all about?"

"Just a recording for my podcast. Since I can't go live right during challenges, I have to make prerecorded messages. The fans'll eat this stuff up!" He wiggled around the recorder between two fingers for effect.

"Um…" Omori gave him a look. "Can't they just...I don't know...watch the show?"

"No way! Are you kidding!"

Omori flinched at the Trevenant's volume, resisting the urge to cover his ears.

"If they watch this, that means my podcast'll get less views! I won't accept that!"

"S-Sorry… I didn't think about that."

Travis gave Omori a stern look. Not a look of annoyance, but...as if he was trying to be real with him. "...I have to get recognition _somehow_."

At this point, Travis's loud and imposing voice had caught the attention of the other competitors and had been noticeably staring. It wasn't any sooner after he acknowledged that fact had Travis started grumbling on reflex.

"Oh, I've had enough of this…!" He brushed aside Omori and walked off to where the other competitors were, visibly standing further away than he needed to.

". . ." Omori began to rub his eyes as he felt them water a bit.

Hoss quickly took notice of this and silently gave him a smile. As their eyes locked, Omori couldn't help but smile a little too.

With a sniffle, Omori continued. "Next...we have...Winthrop."

Carrying more luggage then he was able to hold, a Squirtle cautiously walked down the ramp next. As he neared Omori, a small brown box stacked atop everything slid off into the sand with a small _thump_. Greeting Omori, he bent down to grab it.

"H-Hey," he grunted, stacking the box back in place.

"Hi!" Omori lightly waved. "Welcome to the island! What's with all the luggage?"

Winthrop heaved the luggage with a bounce, rebalancing himself. "Oh, you know me… Just your everyday inventor… Nothing special here. All this junk is just random equipment."

"Inventor? At, like, what? Eighteen?"

"Ah, I'm actually seventeen. My birthday is in a couple of weeks."

"That's even more impressive!"

"Not really," downplayed Winthrop. "There are tons of kids just like me, some who are even younger!"

"Oh, don't say that; there's nobody else like you!" Omori waved his hands down dismissively, grinning. "I would hate to think comparing yourself to others might hurt your chance for you to be you."

Winthrop blinked, staring at Omori for a second. "...Heh, okay, fine. Maybe you're right." he chuckled.

"I _am _right!" exclaimed Omori, sporting and energetic smile. "Now, go on and talk to the other competitors. Time for the next person!"

Winthrop nodded, making his way to the others; although, slowly.

-000-

Heaving his luggage all the way, Winthrop finally let go of everything with a sigh once he was next to a few others. He looked to the people he was standing next to. "H-Hello…" he panted again.

Kip smiled lightly. "Greetings."

"Hey, Winthrop!" exclaimed Phoenix. He, along with Brazier and Cameron, waved to the Squirtle.

"So...what's going on here? Mind catching me up?"

"There's a lot of...colorful people here." Echo answered. She was mostly directing that statement towards Holt. Staring at the Honchkrow with a half-glare, she continued, "But hey, that's not a bad thing. I actually like a lot of them already."

"Colorful people like who? A-And I mean bad colorful, not good colorful."

Echo paused to give him an odd look before moving on. "...Well, for one, HOLT seems a little suspicious…"

"Oh, him?" Kip asked. "I don't think he'll be much of a problem for us."

"How do you know that? I know he's definitely not afraid to put his wings on people; I saw it firsthand."

Kip stayed silent for a moment, looking for a way to answer her question without arousing distrust. "I…have…tremendous intuition. It's naturally easy for me to who will act like what."

Echo tilted her head, clearly not buying it. Before she could question him any further, however…

"Ooh!" Winthrop nimbly hopped in front of Kip, giving him a smile. "You can tell me what I'll be like, right? I really want to know!"

Kip closed his eyes, twirling his mustache. "I think..." He smiled. "…you'll be just the way you are now, if not better."

"…" Winthrop lowered his eyes, looking to his side. He didn't seem too excited to hear that. "…I'm not sure if that's a good thing, or a bad thing."

"How could that be a bad thing?"

"That would mean I never change."

Kip blinked, hesitating for a moment. "...Change is not necessarily always a _good_ thing."

"I guess…" replied Winthrop, scratching the back of his head. He waved his arms around. "I just don't want to feel like a little kid anymore…"

"I mean, you could always evolve." suggested Echo.

"I'm already seventeen and I haven't evolved naturally yet." clarified Winthrop. "Forcing an evolution just seems...disingenuous and a selfishly naïve thing to do to yourself."

"Naïve?"

"Yeah," he affirmed, lightly leaning on his pile of luggage. "You don't really have a full grasp on your powers yet, and I haven't trained myself to the point where I'd be able to control _said _powers."

"I guess that's one way to look at it…"

"It's the _right_ way to look at it."

000

"Here we have...Xavier!"

With sunken light gray eyes and a skinny, yet robust body; a Hydreigon devoid of emotion departed from the boat. He moved slowly, but wearily as he took in his surroundings.

"Hello, Xavier. Welcome to the show!"

Xavier looks up from investigating the ground and blankly stares at Omori. Upon seeing Omori's smile, however, he let up small smile of his own. "...Hi." His voice was gruff, but light.

"So, Xavier. Tell us, what is your game plan for this competition?"

"...My game plan?"

"You know, will you make allies? Will you play alone?"

"Oh, err…" Xavier looked over to the others, giving them a distant stare. "…To be honest, some of these guys seem like major pushovers ...I'd rather be by myself."

"Really? Are you sure? I don't think they're _all_ as bad as they seem."

Xavier shrugged, saying nothing.

"Well…you could al—" Omori's sentence drifted off as his eyes drifted down. "...W-What is _that?!_" He shakily points to the scorch mark on the Hydreigon's tail.

Xavier's eyes followed his to the same spot. "What is what? ...Oh…" He blinked, shrugging once again. "I dunno… Didn't even notice it." he nonchalantly addressed.

"It l-looks like you got burned! We have to get you to the infirmary immediately!"

Xavier didn't catch onto Omori's sense of urgency. "...It doesn't even hurt. I'm fine."

Omori almost latches onto the dragon and pulls him to the infirmary himself. He manages to restrain himself, however, the recording coming back to his mind. He felt bad for prioritizing the recording over an injury, but if it really wasn't that bad…

"Fine…but as soon as we're free, we're getting that cleaned and bandaged!"

"Fine with me."

"Now stand over there, please. I want to start moving a little faster now."

"Okay, bye."

Omori didn't even bother responding as he continued with introduction. "Alright, alright! Next we have...Zenith!"

The next Pokémon to approach was a large bipedal arthropod with a hunched, humanoid posture. He had two bright purple antennas that converged with his mouth to create a mask that covered his face. He was a Golispod.

Letting out a drawn-out yawn, Zenith rubbed his eyes as he stretched.

"Hey, hey." Omori, noticing the bug's lethargic demeanor, chuckled. "Heh, you seem...awake."

"Ya think?" he asked sarcastically. "I just slept well for the first time in weeks; though it was in a pretty embarrassing way…"

"Well, aren't you at the very least excited? It's not every day you get accepted into a T.V. show!"

Zenith rose a brow, lifting his arms into a shrug. "I..guess? I'm not sure how to feel about this yet. I don't really know much about these competitions, so this is all fairly new to me."

"Well get ready to have a whole lotta fun! I'm planning on making this an action-packed summer for all of you!"

"I at least hope it's not boring."

"I promise you; it won't be." Omori cheerfully reassured. "Now stand over there with the others, please."

-000-

Loki struggled to suppress a giggle. "I know! Even though the third movie spends a third of its runtime introducing new characters we have no reason to care about or even _know_ about in general, it actually takes its time fleshing them out and solidifying their backstories. And in a pretty interesting way, too." He opens his mouth to say more, but when he sees Zenith approaching, he glances back to Jared. "Hold on a moment."

He jogged over to the Golisopod. "Hey, dude!"

"Oh...hey."

"I never caught your name. I'm Loki."

"Zenith."

Placing a hand on the Golisopod's back, Loki lightly guided him to Jared. "Me and Jared were just talking about this really cool movie series. I don't suppose you've heard of _Reinbosame_ before, huh?"

"Not really, no…"

Loki blinked, turning to Jared. "...Jared, I think I found someone who could possibly join us."

"Well…we were _going _to watch the fourth movie the first chance we got," Jared admitted. "but...I guess, if we have time, we _could_ rewatch the first three…"

"Um…" Zenith put a claw up.

"Yeah!" Loki exclaimed. "I swear, you'll love it!"

"Um…" Zenith had absolutely no idea what was going on or what he was just forced into. "Now, hold on a minute—"

"Just a warning, though: the third movie is kind of...off putting." cautioned Jared.

With a tired sigh, Zenith sweatdropped. "I don't even know what's—…" He suddenly stopped. He attempted to think it all over. He hadn't had a clue what was going to happen, as he tried making clear earlier, and didn't want to be apart of something he didn't understand, but…

It may not have seemed like much of a big deal at the time, but Zenith really _did_ appreciate Loki letting him rest on his shoulder on the boat and felt a little indebted to him.

Eventually, he came to a conclusion, a conflicted look on his face. "Fine…"

000

"Welcome our next contestant: Zero!"

The next Pokémon to walk down the ramp was a Salandit. Zero, brimming with confidence, glanced over to the other competitors. He strolled over to Omori, his tail held high. Zero had a pretty general idea of who was a threat and who wasn't. He made sure to observe everyone and everything carefully with haste while he was on the boat. He wasn't done observing, however, as the first contest hadn't even started yet.

Omori held his hands behind his back, smiling. "Welcome, welcome! Thank you for signing up!"

"Oh, you know," Zero smirked. "It didn't sit well with me just sitting back and watching this show collapse without me. I sort of felt obligated to since I'm _that_ kinda guy."

To Hoss's surprise, Omori didn't falter. He continued to put on a strong front. "Hehe… I'm glad you cared enough to sign up. Don't worry, though, I have Hoss with me. I'm sure he'll help me work through everything."

Hearing this caught Zero off-guard. He narrowed his eyes at him. He was hoping that with a little bit of complimenting, he'd be able to get on the host's good side, making them easily swayable. Omori, however, wasn't cracking so easily. What Zero couldn't figure out was how Omori was able to catch on so easily.

"A-Are you sure? You see, I'm a bit of an actor myself, so I know the struggles of making a show. I could always give a few point—"

"I'm sure! Hoss has everything covered!"

Zero gave the host a suspicious look. "Alright… I guess I should be going then."

Omori giggled. "Your time is up, anyway!"

Silently grumbled, Zero begrudgingly walked away.

Once Omori was sure Zero wasn't looking anymore, he let out a heavy sigh.

"Anyway...our final contestant is Zevulun!"

The last Pokémon to walk down the ramp was a Pancham. Zevulun wore a bored, almost annoyed expression on his face. As he hopped onto the grass, the ramp began be to retract back into the boat.

"Zev, hey!" Omori greeted. "Glad you're here! You're our final contestant."

"...Hello."

"..." After a few seconds of awkward silence, Omori blinked. The conversation was over before it even started. Omori thought he was pretty good when it came to starting and holding conversations, but when it came to Zevulun...he couldn't even think of something to start with that wasn't a generic question. "So...um…" he attempted to grasp at anything relatable. "How'd you...hear about the show?" He mentally face palmed, realizing he did exactly what he didn't want to do.

"...Flyer."

"...Flyer?" repeated Omori. "I'm sorry...I don't recall making flyers. Unless Hoss…"

"...My friend, a Wingull, recommended it to me."

Omori gave him a look. Once he realized he was making a face, he quickly tried to put on a smile. "So...you call any Pokémon that flies a flyer… That's vague."

Zevulun shrugged.

And once again, awkward silence.

Omori coughed. "You-You don't seem very talkative…"

Zevulun continued to stare at Omori, only quirking a brow.

"...Um, did you hear me?"

"Yes, I heard you. I just have nothing to say to that."

Omori cleared his throat. "Well… Since you're the last one to introduce, why don't we...meet up with the others?"

The loud horn once again boomed throughout the vicinity as the boat began departing.

"Okay,"

-000-

Omori walked Zevulun over to the rest of the contestants. Excited to get the show moving forward, he kicked things off.

"Well, everyone, it looks like all of you have arrived, so let me give you lot a really quickly explain how this will work."

"I don't really think that will be necessary." opined Kip. "If I remember correctly, which I do, you already placed all the information we need to know in the advertisements. So, unless someone here didn't bother to read them…"

"Nope!" Zero quickly replied. "I don't think any of us here are dumb enough to do that."

"Oh...really?" Omori scratched his cheek. "Well...I doubt any of you would want to hear an old fellow like myself lecture you, anyway..." He cleared his throat. "...I guess since we got that over with, I can give you a quick tour of the island's plaza! The scenery is astonishing, really!"

"Let's hope you didn't trash the place. This island actually looks good." commented Grover.

"I...tried." Omori gave Grover a sullen look. He shook his head. "Well, if you'd follow me…"

-000-

Quickly and quietly, Omori guided them forward along a worn out stone path, eventually reaching the center of the island. On the way, various pink and blue flowers were scattered across the place, finally ending at the plaza.

The plaza was just what you'd expect it to look like. Along with the ground completely shifting from grass to stone, there were also various buildings lined up together, some looking more old and abandoned than others.

"Whoa…" was all Jordan could mutter as she stepped around, awestruck. "This island makes it feel like we're still in Galar… Everything is so much more beautiful in real life…"

"This…is the island's plaza." Omori announced proudly. Walking over to a blue and white sigh with beautiful gold designs lining the edges, he lightly touched it. The sign seemed to be a few inches taller than the Toxtricity, and on front it read one word, presumably the plaza's name: _Wakawa_. "This is where all the buildings will go. Since I only have a use for a few of them at the moment, the rest of them are quiet empty, but they will be used at some point."

"Are we going to be looking through all of them?" asked Loki.

"Oh, heavens, no!" Omori shook his hands sideways. "I doubt we'd have enough time for that, and even if we did there wouldn't be very much to look at. Just the sleeping quarters and the café will do for now."

Omori turned to move on, but paused, as he looked back to Xavier. "Xavier, come with me. Everyone else stay with Hoss for a moment, please."

"Omori, I'm fine," Xavier rolled his eyes, but Omori shook his head.

"I'm not going to believe that until I see it for myself." he persisted. Leaning in closer, he whispered, "And I'm not going to let someone hurt themselves on my watch." He straightened himself with determined eyes and began to walk off in a different direction. "Alright, let's go," Though Xavier hesitated at first, he looked over to the others and begrudgingly followed.

Hoss frowned and turned to the competitors, keeping the camera rolling. "I apologize for the inconvenience. Omori will come back to finish the tour swiftly."

Travis groaned, placing a hand on his face. He was getting annoying with all the waiting. "He's totally getting back at me for yelling at him!"

"You think this is about _you_?" Pearla asked, giving him an 'are you serious' look.

"Why wouldn't it be? I made him angry!"

"Jeez… Self-absorbed _and _paranoid."

Hoss spoke up. "Omori is not one to hold grudges. I can assure you: he's only looking out for—"

"I doubt that," he interrupted. "I bet you're angry at me, too." Folding his arms, he clenched his eyes shut and turned away.

Hoss shook his head. "I don't stay upset with people. That's not how I solve my problems."

Travis huffed, blowing through his nostrils. "You know what? Never mind; I don't even know why I said anything…"

Surprisingly enough, Xavier and Omori rounded the corner of one building. Xavier's tail was partly bandaged.

"You're done already?!" cried Travis.

"Yeah," Omori smiled. "It wasn't as serious as I thought, thankfully. Just needed to clean it up, slap on a bandage, then we were finished!" He sighed contently. "Let's move on with the tour, yeah?"

Omori led them towards the tallest building in the plaza. The exterior seemed to made entirely of dark brown wood and reached up three stories high. "This is where you all will be sleeping. Think of this place as a…hotel, but less grand." He walked over to the front door. "Okay, once you guys are inside, you'll greet the receptionist who will give you the key to your room! …Which is also me! We are very understaffed!"

With a small laugh, Hoss sighed. He paused the recording on the camera and placed it down. "Just leave it to me."

With a sigh, Hoss paused the recording on the camera and placed it down. "Just leave it to me."

"B-But then who's going to rec-"

"I already set up over fifty cameras around the island just in case you didn't hire more cameraman."

"Wha—" Omori quickly glanced to the hotel, his eyes drifting upwards, stopping on a camera. "How-How did I not notice that?!"

"You're not very observant, sir." With that, Hoss strolled into the building, moving behind the counter.

Omori could feel his face flare up as he noticed some of the contestants giving him sly smiles.

"Even I noticed them," remarked Grover, walking into the building.

"O-Oops…" Omori looked away, holding the door open. "Come in, everyone, please."

000

Leonardo was one of the last people to grab his key. Walking up to the counter, he said, "Hey, Hoss—" He looked down to what Hoss was wearing. "...Did you put on an apron just for this?

"Pretty much," Hoss admitted. "Omori got it for me, and I like how it looks." Hoss hopped down from the stool he was on before returning with Leonardo's key. "Here, you'll be staying in room twenty."

"All the way in the back I'm guessing?" Leonardo smiled, grabbing the key. "Cozy."

As he turned to walk away. Cameron moved in front of him, blocking his path. The Charmander was twirling a key between his fingers. "Your room?" His tone sounded annoyed.

Leonardo blinked. He was hesitant to believe Cameron was talking to him. "Oh, uh...room twenty."

"Cool, I got seventeen."

"I...uh…"

Without much explanation, Cameron grabbed Leonardo by the wrist, pulling him up the wooden stairs with him.

"W-Whoa!"

-000-

Rapidly, Phoenix made his way over to his friends. "Hey, guys! Where's Cameron?"

"He's leaving with that Kecleon." Winthrop observed.

"Did...something happen while I was gone?"

Brazier looks down, responding, "No… Winthrop and I went to go talk to him and just rolled his eyes and walked away." he explained. What hurt Brazier is that he expected this.

Feeling a bad premonition, Phoenix held the key close to himself. "Well…" He attempted to come up with an explanation, but after a few seconds, he shook his head. "Whatever, it doesn't matter; he probably didn't mean anything by it. You probably just saw wrong or something."

"Are you sure?"

Winthrop's question made Phoenix pause entirely. "…A-Am _I _sure? I've hung around him the longest, so…"

"And I've known him the longest." Retorts Brazier.

"That doesn't mean anything—"

Winthrop placed his hands on Phoenix's shoulders. "Whoa, whoa! Don't get upset, guys! Let's get back on the same page here."

Phoenix lightly brushed him off. His expression was blank for the most part. "...I'm _not_ upset."

"Well you at least don't need to get so worked up about it." He glanced back over to the staircase. "I mean, who _cares_ about what he's doing? It's not our business anyway."

"Shouldn't you, as a friend, try and reassure—?"

"I said it's not our business."

Phoenix let out an exasperated sigh, slouching over. "...Fine. _You're_ the smart one here…"

"Mhm!" Winthrop smiled to himself, placing his hands on his hips. He was happy he was able to deescalate the situation, …but was it really the right thing to do?

000

Once he was up the final step, Cameron carelessly let go of Leonardo, making his way to his room in the back. Leonardo needed a moment to recompose himself down after the visual whiplash and decided to scan his surroundings.

Upstairs, the hallways were lit up with dim lights hanging from the ceiling, giving off a warm, yellow glow that seemed it could fade at any moment. Carpets of various sizes and colors covered the floor. Most, however, could be compared to regal rugs and showed many signs of its uses throughout its existence. Many patterns were barely visible. Additionally, bookshelves lined the end of the walls at each end of the hallway. Some carried not only books, but a variety of other decorations and trinkets, including fairly small statues and...a pair of gold, sharpened clock hands.

Leonardo couldn't help but tilt his head.

"...Sorry about that," Cameron finally spoke up, catching Leo off guard. "I just needed an excuse to leave that area."

"...You needed an excuse?" Leonardo shook his head. "You could've just...walked upstairs."

"I didn't want those three thinking I wanted to leave them behind on purpose."

"Those three?" Leonardo was still confused on Cameron's relationships with the others. "Wait, why do you even care about what _they _think if you don't care about _them_?"

"I…" Cameron paused, prying his face away from his door. "Look, I don't know! I thought you could help me out with this, but I guess not!" He angrily jammed his key into the keyhole, turning it.

"Help you?" The words tumbled from the Kecleon's mouth as soon as it appeared in his head. "I thought you hated me or something!" Earlier on the boat, Leonardo attempted to strike up conversation with Cameron, but he only responded with a cold glare. "Why in the world would—"

"You..._don't _know me at all!" Storming inside his room, he slammed the door behind him.

"..." Leonardo frowned, lowering his eyes.

On the carpet, Cameron left clearly visible burn marks in the shape of footprints, each one darker than the last.

Hoss's voice boomed over everyone else's. "Please, everyone, leave your belongings in your rooms so Omori can finish the tour!"

Omori's voice came next, albeit much quieter. "H-Hoss…! I don't need you to yell for me…!"

"I apologize, sir. We just...need to get this over with quickly so we have enough time to plan for the challenge."

The pensive Kecleon, turning to his own door, unlocked it with the shiny bronze key given to him.

This all felt...familiar to him… Like when he and his father would argue about the stupidest things, and how his father would try to understand and help, but...

He sighed, walking into his room.

000

Marching into his own room, Travis gazed around the area. It looked just as good as it did outside; tacky carpets, unappealing furniture, unattractive designs on anything that could possibly bear one. He pulled out his audio recorder once again. "...Ugh, my room is barely passable."

Loki on the other hand… "Wow, it's so clean in here!" He was admiring his own room, stepping around, checking every corner. It looked just as good as it did outside; beautiful carpets, eye-catching furniture, complex and intricate designs that seemed to speak to its owner.

Hearing the various 'oohs' and 'aahs' coming from Loki's room, Travis felt intrigued to check it out. Stepping inside he had come to find out...that it was exactly like his, save for a few minor differences.

"Are you joking?" Travis questioned. "This place looks like a pawn shop. I thought Omori was loaded!"

Loki shrugged, moving over to his bed and sitting on the mattress. "Eh, it doesn't really matter all too much to me. As long as it's comfortable, I think I can manage."

Travis walked over to a large dresser that also doubled as a mirror. "I need time to edit my audio! These mirrors are way too distracting."

"You're a podcaster, right?" checked Loki. "Don't you have...I don't know, people to do that for you?"

"No, I don't. Right now, my team only consists of two people; and since the guy who edits stuff for me isn't even here right now, and there's no internet for me to send my audio, I have to do it myself!"

Suddenly, a voice sounded from outside the room, loud and clearly. "Guys, I just found the internet box! Do any of you need the password?"

"Hm." Travis blankly looked in the direction of where the voice came from. "I guess I stand corrected."

"Ooh!" Loki shot out of his bed, darting out of his room and skidding into the hallway. "I need to get Jared!"

Travis, feeling uncomfortable with the fact that the person's room he was in wasn't there anymore, decided to follow the Chesnaught out.

000

Serenity frowned as she watched some of the other competitors walk back down downstairs, finished unpacking and putting their luggage away. She quickly took notice of how little girls were on the show.

As Pearla walked past, Serenity got in front of her.

"Mmh?"

"Have you _seen_ how much we're outnumbered here?" asked Serenity. Pearla gave her a puzzled look, causing Serenity to soflty groan. "Five girls, fifteen guys…"

Pearla raised her eyebrows, giving Serenity a look. "..._Really_?"

"_What_?" Serenity responded with the same around of disbelief.

"You think we should make a girls' alliance?" Pearla questioned, a bit mockingly.

"Of course!" exclaimed Serenity. "This is a serious problem; we need to act before the boys do!"

"I don't get it. Why don't you just work with the boys? You wouldn't have this minority problem, then."

"Because they don't _have_ to work with me. And they probably won't. You girls, though… If you _actually_ want to win, you're gonna need someone to work with."

"Then we'll work with the boys. It's a lot easier…"

"But they'll just drop you as soon as they don't need you anymore!"

"So will you." pointed out Pearla. She walked around the Scorbunny, heading downstairs. "Why don't you try being a little more friendly? Maybe then, someone might actually want to work with you."

Serenity watched the Sylveon walk away in shock. She groaned again, dragging a paw down her face. "(Ugh… Looks like I'll have to try again with someone else… Who should I go after, though? It's not like there's many options for me to choose from…)"

000

Omori peaked into the hotel, looking over to Hoss. "Hoss, are you almost done? We need to get moving!"

Hoss lightly took his orange apron off, placing it on a rusty, brass wall hanger. "Coming!"

Omori looked back over to the contestants, clasping his hands. "Well, if you're all ready, we can go ahead and quickly check out the cafeteria and then you'll all officially be free until your first contest starts."

"Finally," Echo sighed heavily, placing a paw on her chest. "I've been wanting to lay down ever since I got on that boat."

"Yeah…" Phoenix put on a stern look. "All these rules and this boring tour...they tire me! And I don't _get_ tired!"

"Trust me…" Winthrop shuddered, holding himself. "He doesn't. I still had three weeks of detention left from that whole fiasco."

"Oh, hush up, Winthrop!" Phoenix exclaimed playfully. "That Joltik barely even hurt us."

"That-That's because _you're_ an electric type!"

Phoenix snickered.

000

After exiting the hotel, Omori held open the door again as the contestants began entering the small, dainty, café. Everything was mostly wooden or stone, but still had a charming feel to it. There were four circular tables in each corner of the main room, each having five seats.

"This is the café. This is where you'll all be meeting up to have breakfast and dinner."

"Aww…" whined Cameron. "No lunch?"

"I kind of felt that was unnecessary, since I'm allowing you guys to just grab a snack from the kitchen whenever you want."

"Speaking of which, when's our first challenge gonna start? And what's it gonna be?" asked Grover.

"Yo," Zenith looked to the Snubbull. "Why are you so eager to start the challenge? It feels like you've been rushing Omori ever since we got here."

"I…" Grover huffed, folding his arms. "Look, you don't need to know! I just really want to get this over with!"

Omori nervously smiled, interjecting. "Well, Hoss and I planned for you guys to settle down a bit before having your first contest, but if you're _really_ that excited…"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Grover began hopping up and down, his hands raised.

Omori laughed. "Alright, alright. It's…" he looked up at the clock on the wall. "...around three o'clock right now, so I think I'll have Hoss serve some food and then we'll get right into your teams!"

"I thought you said you weren't serving lunch." pointed out Serenity.

"Who has breakfast or dinner at three in the afternoon?"

"Point taken."

"Today is an exception since I don't know if you all of you ate before coming here."

-000-

Hoss quickly headed into the kitchen and began firing up the oven.

As everyone began taking a random seat, Zevulun walked up to Omori. "Are you sure Hoss can handle cooking for twenty teens on his own?"

"Oh, um, well…" Omori looked to the kitchen door. "I would think so. He's never really brought it up before."

"I could help if you want. With some experience as a waiter, I can say for certain that serving more than ten people at once is exhausting alone. I can't imagine what it would be like if you'd have to cook all the food on your own as well."

"Sure, I'm sure Hoss would appreciate the help! Have you had some experience cooking before?"

Zevulun nodded, still keeping that serious look on his face. "It's a hobby of mine. Can't say I'm amazing, but I do know my way around the kitchen."

"Great! Here, follow me. I may as well help, too."

000

Jordan nervously looked around at the people she had rushed over to sit with. Holt, Grover, Jared, and Serenity.

Feeling the need to start making allies, she attempted to speak. "So, um-"

"Serenity's the bitch that gets eliminated first, calling it!" Jared raised a hand.

"I second that." Grover agreed.

"Excuse you?!" shouted Serenity.

"Now, now." Holt interjected. "As believable as that may sound, there _is_ a small chance she'll outlast all of us."

"Nope."

"No way."

Serenity folded her arms angrily. "I feel _so_ attacked right now."

Jordan stared at the four of them. "(These four are _not_ a good mix…)" Still, she made another attempt at conversation. "So, guys," comes her voice. It was meek, but still manages to capture the other's attention. "What do think they're gonna make us do for the first contest? I hope it's not something seriously crazy."

"I genuinely don't care." Grover grunted. He attempts to say something else, but it gets covered in a fit of coughs.

Jared lazily rolls his eyes, not bothering to assist him. "If Omori's feeling unoriginal, he'll probably push us off a cliff or something."

"I didn't see any cliffs on this island." Serenity leans into Jared's direction. "Trust me, if there was one, I would've thrown you off already."

After finally recovering, Grover lets out a weak laugh, laying his head onto the table. "Maybe we'll have to do a scavenger hunt. We all _love_ those."

Not picking up on the sarcasm, Jordan nods. "I like those - they're pretty calming most of the time."

Grover slowly slams a fist onto the table, groaning. "I-I was being sarcastic…"

"O-Oh…right."

Holt grabs Grover and pulls his head off the table, straightening his posture. "You're lucky that we're talking about the first challenge, Jordan. No matter what it is, Omori seems too softhearted to actually hurt us." He looked away as an attempt to sound humble. "And because I'll most likely dominate it."

"...How is that lucky for me?"

"We're going to be placed onto the same team, of course! But don't think I won't let you do nothing. Each member _must_ contribute to the team."

Jordan lightly tilts her head, giving Holt a questioning look. "How do you know that we'll end up on the same team?"

Holt, covering his beak with a wing, stifled a snicker. "I never reveal a secret!"

"Oh, shut up, Holt." Serenity wasn't buying it for a second. "The teams haven't even been confirmed yet. The only secret you're hiding is that you totally pulled that out of your ass."

"No need to be so hostile, child. I only speak the truth!" Holt persisted. "And the truth is: Jordan and I will be chosen to be on the same team."

"Child? Just how _old_ are you?"

"Most likely around your age, but no need to sweat the details." Holt hopped out of his seat, smoothing out his feathers. "I apologize, but I must attend to something very important. I'll see you all soon."

"Heh, nice save." commented Jared. As he turned around, Holt made sure to 'accidentally' smack Jared across the head. "Hey!"

Holt didn't respond and strolled over to the entrance, throwing the door open.

Making sure Holt was completely out of earshot, Jared muttered to himself. "The nerve of some people…"

000

Lunch had been underway for a couple of minutes, with Zevulun, Hoss, and Omori pushing out carts of food for the contestants. Some of the more larger Pokémon made an attempt at asking for larger portions but was immediately shut down by Zevulun's death stare. Winthrop watched as Holt called out to Omori. It was sort of funny to hear Zevulun back talk the other competitors the first few times it happened, but it started to get boring fast. He quickly began to let his mind wander as he mindlessly shoveled food into his mouth.

Casting a glance, Winthrop looks to see the window over by the front door, which is small and robust. Probably for safety. He can't make anything out due to all the sunlight mixed with the clouds, but he thinks he sees something soaring past in the sky. Something large and white that contrasted against the clouds. It was for only just a moment, but Winthrop swore it looked back at him before teleporting away. Winthrop narrowed his eyes and rubbed them. For a moment, he starts leaning towards the window's direction, but-

"What are you staring at?"

A voice came, making Winthrop lose his focus. He jumped a little, which the owner of the voice seemed to take notice of. Kip looked at him curiously, awaiting an answer.

"Oh, um…" Winthrop gulped. "I think I saw something flying outside."

"Some_thing_?" asked Kip. His eyes fell upon the same window. "Are you sure it wasn't just some bird Pokémon or something? They aren't rare sights or anything."

"No, I'm sure it wasn't a bird. I didn't see any wings; it was hovering in the air."

Kip hummed, drumming the table with his fingers. "Hmm… Well, that only narrows it down, right? If you're really determined to discover what exactly that was, I'm sure you could come up with something."

"..." Winthrop bites his cheek as his glance moves down to the wooden table. Stuck in thought, he begins to scratch the surface with a 'finger'. "I shouldn't bother. It probably isn't anything important, anyway."

Kip brought a fork stabbed with food to his lips, shrugging. "Up to you."

The sound of a rag slamming into the cart echoed throughout the room. "ASK FOR MORE ONE MORE SLICE AND I'LL SLICE YOUR FUCKING DICK OFF!" shouted Zevulun.

A few people snickered.

000

After the contestants finished eating, Hoss swiftly came around and swooped up all the dishes from the tables. From the side, Phoenix admired Hoss's speed.

"Dude, how do you move yourself so fast?"

Hoss began to move a little slower. "Mmm...Lots of practice from taking care of Omori."

"So are you like...his dad or something?"

Hoss stroked his beard in thought. "…I think we'd both like to think of each other in that manner."

Still a little curious, Phoenix was going to interrogate the Perrserker more, but before he could ask any more questions, Omori called every into the center of the room.

"Alright!" he exclaimed, "Time to start sorting teams!" He produced a clipboard with tons of papers attached to the clip. He spent a good thirty seconds flipping through all of them before stopping at one and reading it over, removing it. "Ah, here it is!"

"Do we get to pick our teams?" asked Pearla.

"Uhh…unfortunately, no. I already picked them in advance. I put people together who I think would work together best." He looked over the crowd. "Though, I understand some people may not be too quick to believe in others so easily, and might need a little push to help them get comfortable. So, I'm trusting you guys to help them out!"

"Uhh, not trying to be mean here, but…" Grover folded his arms. "This is literally a competition; we're all going to have to go up against one another at some point."

"I know!" replied Omori. "Just a thing to keep in mind, hehe…" He moved on. "Okay, the five names I call out will be a part of the first team: The Sarcodes."

"Oh!" Leonardo raises a hand excitedly. "Are you naming the teams after flowers?"

Omori points to him, winking. "Bingo!"

Zero looked between Leonardo and Omori, bewildered. "Really? _Flowers_?" He shakes his head. "Well at least tell me my team's flower has a good meaning."

"Well, the five competitors on The Sarcodes are…" Omori brought the clipboard closer to his face. "Ah, right! Xavier, Leonardo, Grover, Travis, and Jared."

Grover looked over to Jared, snorting. "_Perfect_."

"If I remember correctly, Sarcodes mean…" After a few seconds, Leonardo's face crumpled in disdain. "Actually, it's not that important… Never mind…"

"Um...alright? I just thought it sounded cool." Omori began calling the next team's names. "The next team, The Roses, will consist of Kip, Winthrop, Echo, Loki, and Cameron."

Leonardo smirked, his tone half serious but half light-hearted. "Roses? That's easy! It obviously represents—"

"Love?" finished Zero. "Yes, we know. Hurry up, Omori."

Omori hesitantly obliged. "…Pearla, Holt, Jordan, Zenith, and Lily will be a part of The Snapdragons."

Jordan looked over to Holt in shock, with Holt only smiling back.

"So that means—" started Zero.

"So that means the names I didn't call - Zero, Phoenix, Brazier, Zevulun, and Serenity - will be a part of the Aconites."

Zero immediately perked up hearing his name. "Leo, what do Aconites represent?"

Leonardo's eyes widened. His mouth curled into a small smirk as he clapped slowly. "_Wow_, Zero. You're _so_ lucky. Aconites represent eternal prosperity along with strength of character. Honestly, the rest of us should just step down while the game's still starting so we don't _completely_ embarrass ourselves on television."

Zero looked a little shocked, certainly not expecting the flower to wield such good results. "O-Oh, I don't think it was luck. Omori simply saw my potential and assigned me the correct team. Nothing big."

"Wouldn't expect _anything_ less from...Zero...Zero…"

The Salandit, noticing Leonardo's predicament, said, "Zero Steele. Once this game's over, you'll be seeing me star in the best movies.''

"Welp," Omori stretched, yawning. "I guess we should start getting into the challenge, then."

"Is it gonna be short?" Grover asked again.

"It depends on how you play." Omori answered. "For your first ever challenge, all of you will be split up with members of the other teams to go down five different paths. On each path, you all will encounter six obstacles that will force you to work with your enemy while you also try to win." he expounded. "To win today's challenge, each team must have each member cross the finish line and _stay_ behind the finish line. The last team to have all their members cross the line loses."

"So…" began Jordan. "None of the people we're gonna be stuck with are gonna be our own team members?"

"Nope! Up until the sixth obstacle, everyone you'll be working with will be your enemy. Now, you don't _need_ your enemy to get past your obstacle, but I would advise against leaving them behind. It only makes things harder." Smiling, he turned to Hoss. "Heheh… I like this idea, Hoss. It lets everyone get to know each other a bit more."

"But we won't actually be getting to know our _own_ team members." Zero pointed out.

"Which is _why_ after the fifth obstacle, things are going to switch up a little bit." Omori repeated. "Right before you reach your final obstacle, all five of the branching paths will meet up together. There, you'll have to wait for your team members to catch up. Once all your team members are together, you'll be allowed to move onto the final obstacle, which will decide the winner." he debunked. "So, does anyone have any questions?" The room was silent. "Good… Then it's time to get going!"

-000-

Omori led the competitors out of the café, over to the forest. After a certain point, he came to a complete halt. In front of the competitors were five manmade paths, branching off into different directions. Each were accompanied by violet stones and overgrown vines. From there to into the forest, the grass slowly started to fade from a bright green to a dark shade of purple.

"Okay, this is _actually _amazing!" Jordan whipped out her camera once again, pointing it to the forest this time.

"Are you going to do that _every_ time we pass something remotely eye-catching?" asked Grover.

"How could I not?!" She pointed the camera at the Snubbull, prompting him to cover his face. "You know, you don't look like too bad of a subject. Why don't you go stand in that patch of sunflowers so I can get some more photos?'"

At this point, Grover just turned his whole body around. "Oh, no. I don't think I'll do much good for your...portfolio or whatever you plan to do with these photos. I'm not exactly the most visually appealing."

"That's definitely not what you said on the boat, earlier."

"I was joking, jeez!"

Once again, Omori brought out his clipboard and began to flip through the pages. More quickly this time, however, he found what he was looking for and tore out a crumpled sheet of printer paper.

"Alright." he began, "You all already heard the rules, so now you just need to know what paths you're going on."

Serenity narrowed her eyes at him. "I swear if you stick me with Jared, I will—"

"Okay, on path one we have Xavier, Kip, Pearla, and Zero. On path two we have Leonardo, Winthrop, Holt, and Phoenix. On path three we have Grover, Echo, Jordan, and Brazier. On path four we Travis, Loki, Zenith, and Zevulun. And on path five we have Jared, Cameron, Lily, and Serenity."

Serenity inhaled deeply before clasping her paws together. "..._Why_?"

"I don't see the problem…" contended Loki. "Jared's pretty cool."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I'm _right_ here." clarified Jared, glaring at her.

"What if he acts all weird…" Serenity shivered, her eyes widening. "What if he's _Hitler_?! What if he's _literally_ Hitler and tries to kill us?"

"Ummm…" Omori gave her a look, unsure of how to respond to that. "Anyway…"

"We're just gonna gloss over that?" asked Grover.

"Yup! I think it's about time we get started."

By Omori's orders, the contestants moved in front of their respective paths.

"Now before you go," Hoss began handing out walkie talkies as Omori explained. "Each of you will get a walkie talkie that will allow you to talk to your own teammates. If you lose or break yours, it _won't _be replaced."

Phoenix pressed the button on his walkie-talkie as soon as it was handed to him. "Yo," His voice crackled throughout his team's walkie-talkies. "Ya hear me Brazier?"

Zero immediately shut his own off, glaring at the Pikachu. "Please _never _do that again."

Phoenix snickered to himself.

"Now, are you all ready? On your marks...get set…_GO_!"

The contestants quickly dashed down their paths. Leaving Omori and Hoss by themselves once again.

…

"…Let's hope nothing goes horribly wrong." voiced Omori.

Hoss merely nodded.

**000**

**HOSTS:**

**Omori - Toxtricity (Low key form)**

**Hoss - Perrserker**

**COMPETITORS LEFT: 20**

**Brazier - Bulbasaur**

**Cameron - Charmander**

**Echo - Eevee**

**Grover - Snubbull**

**Holt - Honchkrow**

**Jared - Zangoose**

**Jordan - Indeedee**

**Kip - Kadabra**

**Leonardo - Kecleon**

**Lily - Gardevoir**

**Loki - Chesnaught**

**Pearla - Sylveon**

**Phoenix - Pikachu**

**Serenity - Scorbunny**

**Travis - Trevenant**

**Winthrop - Squirtle**

**Xavier - Hydreigon**

**Zenith - Golisopod**

**Zero - Salandit**

**Zevulun - Pancham**

**000**

**TEAMS:**

**1: Xavier, Leonardo, Grover, Travis, Jared**

**2: Kip, Winthrop, Echo, Loki, Cameron**

**3: Pearla, Holt, Jordan, Zenith, Lily**

**4: Zero, Phoenix, Brazier, Zevulun, Serenity**

**000**

Well, it looks like you've hit the end of this chapter. I think this story's going pretty okay so far...

If you have read the old version, which you probably haven't and really shouldn't, do you think this is better? Is there anything I could have done better? Constructive criticism is always welcome, so don't be afraid to review or shoot me a message! I want to improve my writing skills.

I haven't really decided on a schedule for this story, yet. I'll just try to upload as often and consistently as possible after making sure the chapter is the best it can be! Anyway, thank you for reading! Bye!


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